Homily Baptism of the Lord

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Lk. 3:15-16)

At times we may feel surprised that our commitment to Christ doesn’t bring ongoing peace in our life. We may feel tension in our Christian vocation. What are we trying to achieve as disciples of Jesus? We can ask if our Christian vocation challenges us to take a different path from the one most people choose. Or is our baptism a call to conform to how most people live.

When I grew up, my great uncle lived next door to us. He wasn’t a man who told a lot of stories regarding his life. One story that he did tell was about how a strange man would often ride by the farm he grew up on. The man would travel back and forth to town on his bicycle. He had a platform on the front of his bike to carry supplies. The man had a long white beard. He wore only a pair of shorts with a rope belt. He was kind of a hermit. My great uncle and his siblings would yell at the man as he rode by. At times they might even throw rocks at the man. Mostly, they laughed at him because he seemed strange.

Later, my uncle found out the man’s name. His name was Fred Francis. He was born in the 1850’s on a farm near Kewanee, Ill. He was one of the first people to enroll at the University of Illinois. He majored in engineering. He was a genius. He made steam engines. He built a tower clock at the university. When he graduated, he worked for the Elgin watch company. He invented a watch mechanism that made time pieces more accurate. After only about a dozen years in his career, he was able to retire. He could have lived comfortably because he had patents on his inventions.

But Fred Francis wasn’t like other men. After he thought he had enough money, he refused further payment. He spent the rest of his life building a brick home in the middle of the woods. The home had a solarium for his wife who had tuberculosis, it had air conditioning as well as a host of other innovations. Fred was a vegetarian. He didn’t believe much in clothing. He wasn’t a man of faith, but he was a man who had convictions. He didn’t mind if he didn’t fit in.

Fred Francis is what we would call eccentric. Eccentric means off center; centered in something different than the norm. John the Baptist would be someone who would be labeled as eccentric. Jesus would be considered eccentric as well.

What was at the center of their lives? What should we be centered on? If we believe in what Jesus taught, the last thing we should be is self-centered. Somehow, we should be people who are freed from the path of self-absorption. John the Baptist and Jesus were noticed because their behavior was radically different. Influential Christians usually don’t fit into the customary order.

Christians are called to conform to another way of living. Water is a symbol for Baptism. St. Teresa of Avila felt the water was the perfect metaphor for the spiritual journey. We notice that water always flows to the lowest point. Ask anyone who has had a leaky roof, and they will attest to that. Water is emblematic of Christian humility.

Water also conforms to the container it is poured into. If there is no container, water will spread out as far as possible. In the end water will evaporate into the air, disappearing. Holy men and women don’t seek attention but point to others who should be emulated. Holy people often fade into the background. John the Baptist pointed to Jesus. Jesus preached about his Father.

Chris Ellery once wrote a poem in honor of Baptism. She said:

“When I fear I have done wrong.

When I tell lies to my soul.

I seek out water, I follow its charm-a river, a stream, a lake, with its springs and currents.

See how it offers life as it flawlessly flows and forms, to the shape of this world, the contours of land, the urge of earth,

Hear how it sings under the sun of endless evaporation.”

Our Baptism calls us to be involved in an ongoing wrestling match, to be eccentric while at the same time being humble. We are called to be virtuous without being judgmental. If we feel this push and pull, it is a sign we are taking our Baptismal promises seriously.